The Iris Parade Continues...

Well, Irises are continuing to bloom in the garden and I’ve been very lax about getting photos of them. I’m having to stay out of the garden again and it’s so hard to do when I see so much that needs to be done. I was doing so well from my back surgery too! I leaned over when I was getting dressed and coughed, that’s all, just coughed and it dislocated my back. I don’t think it’s the area where I had surgery, I’m pretty sure it’s the disk below there. I go back to see the surgeon on Wednesday and I will find out for sure. I’m hoping for a complete recovery and I’m actually doing pretty well now, but I can’t do anything that’s going to aggravate the situation. I just have to remember that the garden can take care of its self this year and I need to take care of me. Hopefully my back will be completely healed by September. I’ll let you know what the surgeon says on my next visit.

Okay, let’s get on with the Irises. This first iris is Edith Wolford and it’s one of my very favorite Irises. Isn’t she just an absolute beauty? It’s tucked away in a space where it isn’t displayed very well, but I think that’s okay. I sort of think of it as a hidden treasure. Hope you enjoy the rest of the pictures.

‘Sentimental Rose’

'Gypsy Romance'

'Fall Fiesta'

'Unknown'

Horrible Storms!

Horrible, horrible storms passed through Alabama the last two nights creating a lot of tornados. Many people lost their lives yesterday and last night. Lots of people lost their homes and businesses. Please pray for these families during their time of need. Last night a tornado passed within an eighth of a mile of the house. I was outside and could feel the strange wind and I saw the orange sky. I didn’t realize just how close it was to my home. Nights like that certainly have a way of putting things into perspective and can make you realize just how fragile life is… none of us are promised tomorrow. Hope this finds you all well and happy. Blessings~ Randy

Perseverance

Look at what I found when I returned home after a few days away…

Regrettably I don’t know the name of this plant. But my, my! What a lesson it has taught me today. You see there is something very special about this little bloom. In the last year is has suffered unimaginable circumstances. It has been ignored; it has been uncared for, none of its needs have been attended to in many, many months. What a strong will it has to live! Despite everything it has been thru it has made its mind up to give life all it’s got and shines thru in the face of all it has suffered. We should all live our lives in such a way! Little flower you are indeed an inspiration to me, to us all.

I’ve never been one to keep container plants. I find it too much trouble to keep them watered during the hottest part of the summer. I can kill a houseplant in a heartbeat. However, I will make an exception in this case. Something that struggled so hard to produce beauty in the face of sheer neglect and abandonment deserves a better life. Tomorrow I’m going to buy a new pot and some very good potting soil and find a place of honor for this little plant.

I’ll probably be doing more than one post this week because I’m getting farther and farther behind with the photos. In addition, I'm still working on 'Digital Impressions' and shopping around for some new equipment and software. This is a project that I don't feel should be rushed, so bear with me as I get things together. Hope this finds you all well and I hope you had a wonderful Easter! God bless~Randy

The Iris Parade

Well, the Irises are continuing to bloom in the garden and they’re looking really beautiful. Some of my favorites were lost last year, but I’m sure I'll replace them with ones that I like just as much. Plus it’s good to put something new and interesting in the garden. Several new friends have been by to see the blooms and they think the garden is so pretty right now. LOL I think to myself, wait for another month or two, it’s just starting to wake up.

The roses are also starting to bloom as well. I don’t know why, but I just didn’t get really excited about them this year for some reason. I’m kind of like, oh… I see the roses are blooming. I think I’ve just been so busy I haven’t had time to slow down and enjoy things. It’s not showing any signs of stopping anytime soon either. I’m traveling away from home on the weekends now and spending less time in the garden. Things are looking really nice though. It’s reaching a point where it really cares for its self now. I just do a little weeding here and there. The weeds in the grass are the big issue right now.

I took the photos below on my trip this past weekend. Look at this magnificent oak. I walked around quietly underneath it and I could hear the whispers of hundreds of years. The sounds of family picnics, the young man that professed his love for his bride to be when he gave her a ring, a mother yelling at her son to get down before he breaks his leg or arm and maybe even broken promises… Can you imagine what this tree has witnessed in its lifetime?

I hope you all have a wonderful week. God Bless~ Randy

I LOVE SPRING!!!!!

The garden is just crazy pretty right now and probably not even one third of the growth is even out of the ground good. The cleanup is about 98% complete and the garden would be looking perfect now except my grass guy had to work and wasn’t able to come cut it this weekend. I worked in the garden for about four hours Saturday and got a really good jump on all the detailed cleaning. I also got all the shrubs shaped up, except for the front yard flower beds. Actually, I’m considering removing them and redoing them with new shrubs. The next step is to get the spring weeds under control. I know if I wait long enough the heat will kill them, but if I get them first the grass will have a better chance and they won’t sap up all the vitamins and good stuff in the ground. The grass can use it instead. I was walking around looking at the irises and I seem to be missing a lot of tags. Either they are buried in mulch or they were taken by an evil tag troll. So I’ve got to figure out the name of some of these plants. Last year the iris borers really did a number on the tall beardeds and several were lost. Know what that means? Time to buy more! Have a good week and God Bless~ Randy

'Sultan's Palace'

'Invitation'

'Hello Darkness'

'Crepuscule and Old Fashioned Cabbage'

Breathing Life Into An Old Blog

Hello everyone! Two years ago I started another blog and I didn’t tell anyone about it. It’s been sitting patiently waiting for my return and I’ve decided that there is no better time than the present, so I'll be making the first new post soon. During my absence the last couple of years I have been offered one lesson after another and I’m in a place now where I am beginning to see and understand the value of what was being presented to me. So now it’s time to discuss what has happened and what I’ve learned so far. This blog is simply a collection of my idle ramblings and thoughts; it has nothing to do with gardening. I guess it will become somewhat of an online journal for me and will also give me a chance to expand my photography to something other than garden photos. Some of you may enjoy it, others may be bored by it and a few may dismiss it as complete idiocy, but I invite you all to visit it if you like. Join me as I stumble through life and have the occasional epiphany. Crossing Through Windows, hope to see you there. God Bless~Randy

Well, It Finally Happened...

Four years ago I got this Caribbean Lily in a trade. I had made up my mind it would never flower. Well! Finally it decided to produce a bloom. Look what a beautiful shade of blue it is. According to Dave’s Garden you can grow this plant from seed. When I got it, the bulb was pretty large, so I could only imagine how long it would take to get a bloom. If it produces a pod I will save the seeds for any of you enthusiastic gardeners out there that have more patience than me. The irises are starting to burst into bloom so I’ll try to get some pictures of them for a later post. The weather is supposed to get really bad tonight with possible hail and high winds. Hopefully the garden won’t get beat to death when it’s off to such a good start this spring. Looking forward to catching up on my reading with you guys, I’ve just been so busy getting the garden cleaned and trying to keep up my exercising to help heal my back. I have to walk at least 2 miles a day to strengthen my back muscles. I haven't missed but a day or two since the surgery so I've lost 16 pounds in less than four weeks. Woo Hoo! I feel better too with some of the extra weight gone. Hope you all have a good week! God bless~ Randy